Many people think that all meal replacement meals are
basically the same. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The
founder of the Plenny Meal Replacement Shake products, Joey van Koningsbruggen, set out from day one
to create a shake that would leave you as full and satiated as eating a real
meal, but in an easy to drink formula that only needed to be mixed with water, this we're inclined to agree with, the other claims they make about keeping you full are less accurate.
The one criticism we can throw its way is that the
formulation isn't gluten-free. This means it is a no-no for anyone with gluten
intolerance. The same goes for the soy flour it contains. It's not a good
choice for anyone wanting to avoid consuming soy products or lectins from the
flaxseed.
However, for those without food intolerances, the
nutrient-balanced formulation is based on scientific research from the European
Union's Reference Daily Intake of nutrients (RDI), the European Food and Safety
Authority and the World Health Organization, which all sounds very impressive.
According to the ingredient list, the meal replacement contains
an ideal balance of proteins, carbs, fibre, fats, vitamins and minerals with
400 calories, 15 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre per serving.
The sweetness of the shake comes from added sucralose and
maltodextrin. While this reduces the overall sugar content per serving to 5.6g,
it does cause some concern for those looking for the cleanest ingredients in
their meal replacement shakes or wanting to avoid added sweeteners.
We are using the Vanilla flavour Plenny Shake for this
breakdown. The ingredients are the same across the board for the powder shake
range but will contain added ingredients depending on the flavour. For example,
added dried fruit powder, cocoa powder, beetroot powder, beta-carotene, and
aromas.
Ingredients in Vanilla Plenny Shake:
Bacillus
Coagulans
Ground
golden flax seeds
Inulin
Oat
flour
Rice
flour
Soy
flour
Soy
protein isolate
Sunflower
oil
Sweetener:
sucralose
Vitamin
and mineral mix
Nutritional breakdown per serving (meal) of Vanilla Plenny
Shake:
Energy:
400 kcal/1674 KJ
Fat
15 grams, of which saturated fats 2.3 grams, monounsaturated fats 5.6
grams, polyunsaturated fats 6.7 grams
Carbohydrate
43 grams, of which sugar 3.2 grams
Fibre
8.2 grams
Protein
20 grams
Salt
0.30 grams
Any meal replacement drink can aid weight loss when consumed
as part of a sensible diet. However, it depends on what type of weight-loss
diet you are following.
If you follow a calorie-controlled diet, then the Plenny
Meal Replacement Shake has 419 calories per 100g. This seems like a lot of
calories if you aim to keep your calorie consumption low. However, the drink claims
to give you a good level of satiety, but our experience and customer reviews
seem to disagree.
Plenny’s pretty good on the sugar front, and contains only 5.6g
of sugar per 100g.
But, their shakes also contains a whopping 43g of
carbohydrate per 100g, so those following a low-carbohydrate or keto diet won't
consider it low enough in carbohydrate to be considered suitable.
In short, it's probably a better option as a weight gainer shake than one for weight loss. The pre made shakes are a great example for weight gainer shakes, they're very, very (yes the two very's were necessary) small. Giving 400Kcal at just 330ml/12oz that's incredibly small so easy to add onto an existing meal.
If You're More Interested In Cutting Than Building Muscle
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